Gas-engine starter.



G. E. MILLER; A s ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9/1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Gnonon E. MIiLER, or OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

GAS-ENGINE srnn'rnn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 30, 1912.

Application filed November 9, 1911". Serial No. 659,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that LGEoRGnE'. MILL R, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and :State of California,have invented new and useful" Improvements in Gas-Engine Start ers, ofwhich the following is a specification. This invention relates tostarting appairatus for internal combustion engines.

.Theflobject of the present invention isto provide a startingapparatus'for internal combustion engines, such apparatus involving. oneor more gas retaining chambers which may be suitably attached to orformerlwith aportion of thecylinder. or of each of "the cylinders of themotor.

It is well known that the combustible gases utilized fort-he operationof internal l combustion engines'will retain their inflammable proper-tyfor a considerable time after generation, audit is the object'of thepresent invention to so arrange a serles of recep 'tacles or containers,in which'may be accumulat'ed a charge ofinfiamm able' or ex plosive gasderived from the generating sysam of the motor-when the latter isrunning,

a practicable apparatus for the reserve ofa and which stored charge ofgas may be utilized at a later'time for the initial startingot-theengine, thereby avoiding crank- I 'The invention consists of the partsand the construction and combination of parts, as terelnafter moreclaimed, having reference to the accompany fully described and 'ingdrawings, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fourcylindermotor, showing the apparatus at- .tached. Fig. 2 is a detail view of oneof 40 mechanism.

the compression chambers with its valve- I Fig. shows the valve incharging position. 'Fig. 4 shows thevalve inclosed position. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal section of the valve.

It is a desideratum to.devise and provide charge of. compressible gas,which charge maybe derived from the enginegenerator, inthe presentinstance, just before, the en-.

gine ceases. operation and after the sparking system has been renderedinoperative. Ordinarily engines of this type will make afew revolutionsafter the spark has been cut out and this continued motion of the engineresults in the pumping of a pure and unexploded charge ofgas'into one ormore of the cylinders of the engine. The presentinvention is designed toreserve a portion of this fresh, unexploded gas which is drawn into theengine by its revolution after the spark has been cutout. To that end Iprovide one or more chambers, as 2, of suitable proportion, which maybeformed with, or connected to, one or more of the cylinders of the engineA.

tion I havejshown the chambers 2 as 'connected to the cylinders of theengine by a valve body 3, in which is movable a valve plug-4 which isprovided with a port- 5 adapted to be turned into alinement with thecentral channel. 6 of the valve body 3.

In the upper end of the valve there is prosided an automaticallyseatable puppet valve'7, which' is seated in the present ins'tance by anexpansible spring 8.

The valve plug 4 is normally turned to the cut off position by'means ofthe connecting rod 9, which may be connected with each of the levers 10of the valve plugs. During the running of the motor the connecting rod 9is shifted to such a position inoperative results in the charging of oneor more of the engine cylinders with fresh Themomentum of the movingparts 01 the engine will compress the gas in the cylinder and-theoperator, when desiring to charge the reservoir chambersQ, shifts theconnecting link 9 so as to move the valves 4 to 'open the channel 5 andpermit aportion of the gases to be" charged or compressed in thechambers 52. At each impulse or compressionof gas the puppet valves 7will'litt to permit the gas'to accummulate in its respective'ch'amber2and immediately seat, thus holding the charge of gas. The

operator will permit the valves 4 to remain in open position for asufficient length of time to enable vthe chambers 2 tube charged andwill then shift the connecting rod 9 tov again close the valves 4-.Since each of the storage chambers 2 is now charged with a 1 c5- In'thepresent embodiment of the lnvcnvolume of pure explosive gas which it iswell known may be retalned 1n explosive condition for a considerablelength of time,-

when the operator wishes to start the motor,

he shifts the connecting rod 9 to turn the valves 4 soas to carry a cam11, of which there is one on each valve, into lifting engagement withthe stem of the puppet valve 7. This mechanical movement results in thelifting of the puppet valves 7 from their seats and allows thecompressed explosive charge in the chambers 2 to escape into the enginecylinders, when the connecting rod 9 nectionsbetween said chamber and acombustion cylinder of themotor, an automatic valveinterposed betweensaid chamber and said cylinder, and a valve operable to opencommunication between the cylinder and the reservoir chamber toallow..the latter to be charged, said last named valve having a camsurface and the automatic valve having a part disposed in the range ofaction of said cam surface and adarted to be lifted thereby.

2. The combination with an internalcombustion motor, of a reservoirchamber, connections between said chamber and a combustion cylinder ofthe motor, an automatic valve interposed between said chamber and saidcylinder, a valve operable to open communication bet-ween the cylinderand the reservoir chamber to allow the latter to be charged, and meansfor opening the automatic valve to allow the compressed gas toescape-into the cylinder of the motor, said means including a rotatablecam on the second named valve, and said automatic valve having a stem tobe engaged and lifted by said cam.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE E. MILLER. \Yitnesses J onv H. Hmnuxc,

CHARLES EDELMAN.

Copies of'this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. G.

